Seat-back support



`lFab. l0, 1931- w. s. sAuNDERs TAL y .1,791,765

SEAT BACK SUPPORT Filed oct. 27, 1927 2 sheets-sheet l Feb. 10, 1931. w.s. sAUNDERs E1' AL, 1.7913755 SEAT BACK SUPPORT Filed oct. 2v, 1927 2sheets-sheet 2 6 gpg/,Eff 6 I wvQM/fow 7 wfgsam @new aer Martyn/76.52

Patented Febr im,

UNITED STATES tierras retirar orifice WALTER S. SAUNDEBS AND RQBEBTMABTINDELL, 0F YONTIAC, MICHIGAN, ASSIGN- OBS T0 AMERICAN' FOEGINGSOCKET COMPANY, QF PONTIAC, MICHIGAN SEAT-BACK SUPEOBT Application maoctober 27; 19a?. semi No. 229,643.

This invention relates to vehicle seats and articularly to vehicle seatshaving tilting acks such as are commonly used in certain types of motorvehicles to afford more space for movement of the vehicle occupants.

An object of the invention is to very securely mount upon the base of avehicle seat a pair of bracket members and to pivotally en age saidmember by a substantially U-shaped ack support for the seat.

Another object is to pivot the back support of a vehicle seat uponmembers carried b the seat base'and to form said members wit strongabutments engageable by the pivotal' ends of said back support in itsposition of use so as to take care of the heavy rearward thrust at timesacting upon said back support without undue resulting wear.

These and various other objects the invention attains by theconstruction hereinafter described and illustrated in theaccompanyindrawings, wherein igure l is a View in side elevation of thevehicle seat equipped with a tilting back in accordance with thisinvention.

Figure 2 is a front view of the back disassembled from the base.

Figure 3 is an enlarged elevational view in partial section of a bracketmember attachable to a seat base for pivotally mounting a back support.

Figure 4 is a plan view of the same.

Figure 5 is a fragmenta perspective view of the pivotally connecti leends of said bracket member and the back support.

Figure 6 is a cross sectional view taken upon the line 6 6 of Figure ai.

In these views the reference character l designates the base of avehicle seat, 2 the upholstery of said base, 3 a supporting leg attachedto and depending from the rear portion of said base and 4 a pivotconnection established between brackets 5 and 6, the former dependingfrom the front portion of said base and the latter secured to the floorof a vehicle, whereby the base is adapted to tilt forwardly as is knownin the art.

Upon the rear portion of the base l a pair of upstanding angularbrackets 7, preferably of sheet metal, is mounted, one at each sidethereof, their lower portions being rigidly secured to the base 1, as byscrews 8, and the upper portions of said brackets bein preferabl foldedinto substantially tubu ar form an inclined slightly to the rear as theyproject upwardly. 9 designates a U-shaped back support formed preferablyof sheet metal and having its lower extremities pivoted as indicated at10 upon the brackets 7 whereby the support 9 is adapted to swing fromthe raised position of use shown in full lines in Figure 1, to thecollapsed position shown in dash lines in said figure. As best seen inFigures 3, 4 and 5, the lower ends of the back support 9 are adapted tot into the upper ends of the brackets 7 and the front wails ot the upperportion of each of said brackets is cutaway to permit the back supportto swing to its substantially horizontal coilapsed position. Preferabiythe rear wali or the topmost portion of each bracket 7 is ob tuselyinclined to the lower portion of said wall, substantially as indicatedat 7a, so as to be approximately vertical. The portions 7a of the twobrackets forni abutroents the inner vertical faces of which areeiigageable by the rear edges oi' the ends of the support 9, said endsbeing suitably shaped to provide bearing faces 11 to seat against theportions 7a when the back support 9 is in its uil raised position. Theextent of the engaged iaces 1l and 7a is fully adequate to transmit tothe brackets 7 such rearward strains as are placed upon the back snp ort9 without undue Wear of either oi said faces orI bending of either part.The avoidance of such wear or bending is vitally important inconstructions of the described character since a slight yielding betweenthe back support and its supporting brackets is suicient to permit anundue inclination of said support, such as `will detract from thecomfort of the occupant of the seat.

It is to be noted that there is no engagement between the horizontal topedge of the bracket 7 and the seat back support 9. Such engagement hasbeen found to beiiddownwardly the top of the bracket by a crumpling ortearing action, unless the sheet metal of the bracket is made of muchheavier gauge metal than would be necessary-for the ecoprovide a seatfor said arm when in lowered nomic productlon of the remainder of theposition.

bracket. Our vertical line to line contact In witness whereof wehereunto set our between the seat back support and bracket hands.

obviates this objectionable feature and distributes the strains imposedon the bracket over a comparatively great area. Preferably a bracemember 12 is employed to rigidly connect and reinforce the lower endportions of the back support 9 as best appears in Figures 1 and 2.

The described construction is sim le and comparatively inexpensive and.ad s very materially to the strength of pivot-back seats as com aredwith the practice now followed.

Whi e it will be apparent that the illustrated embodiments of ourinvention herein disclosed are well calculated to adequately fulfill theobjects and advantages rimarily stated, it is to be understood that t einvention is susceptible to variation, modification and change withinthe spirit and scope o the subj oined claims.

What we claim is:

1. A seat-mounting bracket comprisin a sheet metal stamping having aforwar y projecting securing portion and a tubular upstanding securingportion, the securing portion havin upturned walls at each side thereofwhich are continuous with the side walls of the tubular supportinportion the side walls converging toward t e top of the bracket, andinbent abutting portions adjacent the top of the bracket forming thefront wall of the tubular supporting portion.

2. A combination with a stamped sheet metal-bracket comprising asecuring base and an upstanding tubular portion'havin inturned portionsabutting to form its ront wall and havin its side walls and rear Wallextended above its front wall, of an arm pivoted between the side wallsof said tubular portion above the front wall thereof, the rear wall ofsaid bracket providing an upright abutment for said arm in a raisedposition of the arm and the top edge of the front wall roviding a seatfor said arm in a lowered orwardly projecting position thereof.

3. In combination, a sheet metal bracket comprising a securing base andan upstand-v ing tubular portion inclined rearwardly from the base andformed with the upper portion of its rear wall bent forwardly at anangle to such inclined portion, intnrned abutting portions forming thefront wall of the tubular portion and terminating below said upperportion of the rear Wall, and an arm pivoted between the sidewalls ofsaid tubular portion above the front wall thereof A in position wherebythe .rear wall of the arm will substantially vertically engage saidupper portion of the rear wall of the bracket when the arm is in raisedposition and the top edge of the front wall of the bracket will.

